2008 BMW 7-Series review
Performance
The all-new diesel boasts 245bhp and 398lb/ft of torque - the latter beats the 740i petrol! 60mph takes 7.2secs and, while the size and composure of the car means it never 'feels' fast (indeed, even the mighty 750i doesn't, despite the crazy speeds soon reached), real-world swiftness is ample.
Really, that this is most disappointing aspect of the 2008 BMW 7 Series is to damn a superb and, generally, very hushed engine with unfair praise. It's just that the rest of the car is so groundbreaking, the slight buzz of low-rev vibration and faintly gravely diesel timbre drops you into current-gen reality. The auto can be jerky on kickdown, but a forthcoming eight-speeder should cure this.
Ride and Handling
If visuals expand the 2008 BMW 7 Series dynamics shrink it. This is an unbelievably wieldy large car, like a 3-Series from behind the small, chunky, soft leather wheel. It's a forward-led, pointy feel, front tyres stretched far ahead. Direct control floods you, and this confidence helps place it on the road with unerring accuracy.
Electronic dampers are standard, adjusting instantly to road and driver inputs. They can be adjusted from Comfort to Sport using a button by the gearlever; upping the 'Sport' level is like the suspension's been rose-jointed, so crisp and agile does it become. Turn-in is almost over-keen - it's that direct - but the ride does become knobbly.
Ah the ride. In Comfort, it's excellent. This is the real surprise of the 2008 BMW 7 Series . Pillowy soft, yet fully controlled, there's delicious freedom from harshness. Such bump-soaking is very satisfying. Long-wheelbase cars are even better, as they get rear air suspension, allowing BMW to make laden-up cars even more matressey.
Rear passengers will be further blessed if you choose the rear steering option. Naturally, this ups the low-speed manoeuvrability and high-speed response. But, in combination with computerised suspension, also disturbs passengers less in corners. The car 'turns' rather than leans, so they're jarred and rolled about less. It really is pronounced.
As the world's first manufacturer of premium automobiles, the BMW Group operates a fleet of about 500 pure electric vehicles for private use in everyday traffic […]
First Impressions When it comes to an engaging experience behind the wheel, however, the 2008 BMW 7 Series is still tough to beat. An Audi A8 or Benz S-Class ar […]
First Impressions It must be depressing for BMW's rivals as they try and find an answer to the 2008 BMW 3-Series' domination of its sector. Every time they get […]
When BMW took a serious run at the top end of the North American market, in the late 1980s, the model they utilized to spearhead this paradigm shift was their l […]
The new BMW 1-series coupe is really good, but one of the knocks on that car has been its heavy weight for its size, a fact which left the 1-series convertible' […]
My biggest kvetch about the BMW 1-Series: price. When you compare the 1-Series to the more practical 3-Series, the cheaper 1 might as well have a bone through i […]
Although cars like the Jaguar XK120, Shelby Mustang and Porsche 911 have become legends, their modern equivalents offer far superior driving dynamics. And […]
To understand the new X6, you must go back a few years to the 2001 X Coupe Concept. This was the first time the world got a look at BMW's vision of a jacked-up […]
Journalists on this site have complained about how ugly and technologically complex recent BMWs have become. To that list I would also add a jarring ride, an ov […]
BMW’s next big thing is the 1-Series coupe and convertible. Propellerheads are positively dizzy at the prospect of a new, small-ish, rear wheel-drive BMW […]